Ravi Krishnan Khajuria & Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service,Jammu/ Srinagar, January 22

In the wake of intelligence inputs of possible attacks by Pakistani militants, the Army, Air Force and paramilitary forces have fortified their formations across Jammu and Kashmir ahead of Republic Day.Security has also been beefed up on the 198-km-long international border and Jammu-Pathankot national highway.A terror alert has been sounded across the Jammu region after the murder of a taxi driver at Kangra in Himachal Pradesh by three unidentified men, who escaped with the taxi. Additional nakas were laid on the Jammu-Punjab border and on the Dunera side of Basohli Bridge in Kathua district. “The CRPF this morning took control of border routes leading to garrison town of Samba. They have also set up random checkposts. The arrangement will remain in place till the Republic Day celebrations are over,” said an official source.In Samba, which has a brigade, the Army has intensified foot patrols while the BSF has laid ambushes at vulnerable stretches on the border. Samba, a major garrison town on the Jammu-Pathankot highway, has always remained on the terror radar of Pakistani militants and has been attacked in the past.“Samba garrison being in proximity of Indo-Pak International Border always runs the risk of getting attacked and post-Pathankot attack Samba Brigade is taking no chances. We have revisited our Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that cannot be divulged,” an Army officer said. Intelligence inputs of possible fidayeen attacks and Peshwar varsity-like attacks has prompted security forces to go for a “near watertight” security grid.“All Army installations and units dotting the Jammu-Pathankot highway have been virtually declared out of bounds for civilians till Republic Day is over,” said an Army source.Consequently, the barricading has been strengthened at cantonments on the highway with additional concertina wires, he added.“We have also put up optimum deterrents in and around our cantonments because deterrents enable us to foil terror attacks. Our patrolling is on, ambushes are in place and CCTV surveillance has been enhanced,” he said.South of Jammu, the Army has asked its men to remain extra alert as there could be any mischief, including attacks by Pakistan’s Border Action Teams (BATs), an amalgam of Lashkar militants and Pakistani Army regulars.Security has also been heightened to unprecedented levels within and around the IAF Station in Jammu. In the summer capital of J&K too, the security forces are on their toes to ensure a peaceful Republic Day.This afternoon, security personnel in Kashmir went into a tizzy after an input that a suspected vehicle entered Srinagar from south Kashmir. A high alert was sounded and security men stepped up checking of vehicles across Srinagar, where security agencies have already tightened the security ahead of the Republic Day function.To avert any untoward incident, the J&K Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have stepped up round-the-clock patrolling in the city to keep an eye on the situation.In Kashmir, the main R-Day celebrations will be held at the Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar and the Police and CRPF have already started sanitising the areas around the stadium.A police officer associated with the security around the Bakshi stadium said they had carried out many search operations around the stadium. “Various nakas have been placed on the roads leading to the stadium to ensure a peaceful R-Day,” said the officer. He said a thick three-tier security cover would be thrown around the stadium in the coming days.J&K Director General of Police K Rajendra Kumar had already asked for the security review of venues for the R-Day functions across the region. “The security of venues for the functions at different places needs to be reviewed by all agencies concerned and synergy should be ensured to make the celebrations more secure and successful,” Kumar had said during a security review meeting.Not only in Srinagar but reports from various districts of North and South Kashmir said the security have also been enhanced around the venues and important installations.

Security stepped up at Army installations

• Army installations and units dotting the Jammu-Pathankot highway have been virtually declared out of bounds for civilians till Republic Day is over
• Barricading has been strengthened at cantonments on the highway with additional concertina wires

Alert in Valley as suspected vehicle enters Srinagar

• Security personnel in Kashmir went into a tizzy on Friday afternoon after an input that a suspected vehicle entered Srinagar from south Kashmir. A high alert was sounded and security men stepped up checking of vehicles across Srinagar.

IS threatens to expand war in Kashmir

Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 22

The Islamic State (IS) has threatened to expand its war against India and ‘reconquer Kashmir for Muslims from ‘the cow-worshipping Hindus’.In an interview published in the 13th issue of ‘Dabiq’ allegedly given by Hafiz Saeed Khan, the emir of Khorasan (Pak-Afghan area), the IS propaganda magazine has labelled the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) as an apostate and claimed that ‘specific arrangements have been made to expand the caliphate in the region’.The Khorasan region historically extends from the present day Iran to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and China.“It (Kashmir) had once been under the authority of Muslims along with the regions surrounding it. Afterwards, the secularist…the cow-worshiping Hindus and atheist Chinese conquered other nearby regions, as is the case in parts of Kashmir and Turkistan,” Saeed has reportedly said in the interview to the magazine.The news item referring to the interview has been carried out by several media outlets in India. This is the second time that the IS faction in the Af-Pak region has threatened to expand war in Kashmir and India.A few months ago, the group targeted the Pakistan army over exploiting various Islamic organisations on the issue of Kashmir for their personal interests.Though security agencies have so far ruled out any serious threat in Kashmir from the Islamic State, youths have been seen displaying the IS flags during protests in the Kashmir valley, worrying the security agencies and the state police.Security agencies also see this as an open threat and a challenge to the LeT and the Hizbul Mujahideen, operating in Kashmir and carrying out attacks against civilian and military targets since the eruption of insurgency in 1990.It could also fuel a sectarian conflict in Jammu and Kashmir as the IS follows an anti-Shia, Salafist ideology and has killed Shias and other ethnic groups in Syria and Iraq.

COUNTERING THREAT OF TERROR STRIKES ON R-DAY

Police hold meeting with Army, Air Force

PK Jaiswar,Tribune News Service,Amritsar, January 22

Following intelligence inputs regarding the suspected terror attacks in Punjab on Republic Day, the Punjab police have been on a high alert.The police are on their toes as the state-level function of Republic Day celebrations is being held in the holy city. A company of the Border Security Force (BSF) has already been provided to the city police while more companies of paramilitary forces are expected to arrive in the next couple of days. The police from other districts have been summoned to the city for security reasons.The security has been tightened after a taxi which was hired by three suspects in Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh went missing while the body of the driver was found from Kalta Bridge in Kangra. Three unidentified persons had hired the taxi from Pathankot. The Delhi police have issued an alert and posted the pictures of the three suspects on its social networking sites to find clues.According to the intelligence inputs, the Pakistan-based terrorists could strike at vital installations including railway stations and military installations on Republic Day.Following intelligence inputs, top-most cops have held a meeting with the Army authorities and officers of the IAF of the local air forcePolice Commissioner Jatinder Singh Aulakh confirmed the intelligence inputs regarding the terror threats which are doing the rounds. He said tight security had been maintained by the city police by holding regular nakas, carrying out checking drives and patrolling in and around the city. He said police officials of the neighbouring districts were also in close contact with the city police and all information pertaining to the security measures and alleged threats was being shared.He also confirmed the meeting with Army and Air Force officials, but did not divulge the details due to security concerns. It is learnt that security around the Army cantonments and the Air Force station and other vital institutions has been beefed up.The district administration and police officials today visited Guru Nanak Stadium where the state-level function would be held to overview the security arrangements. Besides Aulakh, among those visited the stadium included Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat, ADC TPS Sandhu and ADCP Dhruman Nimbale.